It was a joyous celebration that welcomed the newly crowned King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark on Monday, 15 January as they emerged on the balcony at Copenhagen’s Christianborg Palace, waving to the tens of thousands below. On New Year’s Eve, Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication, leaving the throne to Frederik. Although Mary is now Queen of Denmark – and the first Australian-born woman in history to become monarch of a nation – Margrethe will retain her title, meaning Denmark has two queens.
“My hope is to become a unifying kind of tomorrow,” said Frederik X on the balcony, in his first speech as King. “It is a task I have approached all my life. It is a task I take on with pride, respect, and joy.”
Though the ceremony itself, officially called a proclamation, was a relatively simpler one, there were still rules to be observed, especially those of a sartorial sort. From jewels and special orders, to clothing new and old, we break down the outfit details you may have missed from the new King and Queen of Denmark’s coronation. Scroll on below to see the ceremony looks, decoded.
Queen Mary’s dress
Soren Le Schmidt was given two weeks to bring Mary’s coronation dress to life. Mary always planned on wearing a Danish designer to ascend the throne as Queen of Denmark, and Le Schmidt – whose work she wore to King Charles III’s coronation in May last year, seemed like the perfect fit. A touch of bridal was also not a coincidence. The seamstress behind the dress, Birgit Hallstein, also stitched Mary’s dress at her wedding to Frederik in 2004.
Royal Jewels
While the Danish flag isn’t complete without red, the new Queen nodded to the country’s colors with a set of jewels plucked from the Danish Ruby Parure. “The colors of Denmark are red and white, so a graphically beautiful white dress adorned with the earrings and a brooch from the Ruby Set seemd like the right choice,” said Le Schmidt. Fans of Mary’s will also recognize the tiara from the Ruby Set, one of the Queens favorite diadems as Crown Princess. She first wore the tiara before her wedding, at a dinner at Christianborg Castle in 2004.
Queen Mary’s Ordensportrættet
Along with her rubies and diamonds, Mary pinned a portrait order to her shoulder, called an ordensportrættet: a framed portrait of Queen Margrethe II, surrounded by pearls and diamond Maltese crosses. It was an ordensportrættet previously worn by Margrethe herself, with her father’s portrait in place.
King Frederik’s Order of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant, or the Elefantorden, is the most prestigious order of chivalry in Denmark. With his succession to the throne, Frederik becomes not only the King of Denmark, but the monarch of this particular order. Observe closely the outfit he wore for the coronation, a ceremonial military uniform, and you’ll notice the elephant pin sitting on his right rip, as well as its matching eight point silver star on the left side of his chest, and the pale blue silk moiré sash, also signifying the order.
Princess Josephine in her mother’s Prada coat
Princess Josephine, the youngest of Frederik and Mary’s four children, wore her mother’s navy double-breasted Prada coat – an especially lovely touch given Mary’s own liking for re-wearing her favorite wardrobe pieces.
Princess Isabella’s Brooch
Princess Isabella, the eldest daughter of Frederik and Mary, wore a red Carolina Herrera coat with a small brooch pinned to it, featuring a round pearl, a pear-shaped conch pearl and three diamonds. Originally belonging to Margrethe’s grandmother Queen Alexandrine, the brooch was handed down to Margrethe, passed down as an heirloom, before Margrethe gifted it to Isabella in 2007 for her Christening.
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